Foldable desk



United States Patent [72] Inventor Jeremy S. Guiles Cape Elizabeth. Maine (Box 801, Portland, Maine 04104) [21] AppLNo. 766,832 [22] Filed Oct.1l,l968 [45] Patented Dec.29,l970

[54] FOLDABLE DESK 6 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs. 7 [52] U.S.Cl 248/459,

248/460; 312/233- [50] FieldofSearch 312/233, 23 1; 248/459, 460, 463, 464; 40/120 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS.

433.635 8/1890 Turck 40/120 905.836 12/1908 Bowman 312/233 Primary ExaminerDennis L. Taylor Attorney-Abbott Spear ABSTRACT: A foldable desk is disclosed consisting of interconnected front, bottom, rear, and top walls having parallel fold lines and increasing in width in the order named and with a foldable flap at the free edge of the top wall secured to the front wall below its free edge. In the collapsed-position of the desk, the top and front walls lie flat against the rear and bottom walls and in the erected position, the top wall is inclined downwardly towards the front and bottom walls and the free edge of the front wall is exposed as a retainer.

III/11111114 IIIAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII/ FOLDABLE DESK The present invention relates to foldable desks that are particularly adapted to meet the requirements of bed patients.

Except when a person confined to a bed is seriously ill, reading, and to a lesser extent writing, are important diversions usually making desirable some means for the support of the reading or writing materials. Various attempts have been made to provideequipment suitable for use by invalids in reading or writing but these, because of bulk, cost, or structural requirements are limited in use.

There is'a demand, accordingly, for a desk that is foldable for storage and light in weight for shipment and for use and is of sufficiently low cost so that it can be mass distributed and discarded by a patient when its use isno longer necessary or,

desired. In accordance with the invention, this objective is attained by providing a series of hingedly connected front, bottom, rear, and top walls increasing in width in the order named with the top wall connected to the front wall to provide the latter with a free edge portion. The combined length of the top and front walls, when thus connected, is equal to that of the rear and bottom walls so that the desk may have a collapsed position with the top and front walls lying flat against the rear and bottom walls and an erected position in which the top wall is inclined downwardly and forwardly and the free edge portion of the front wall is exposed as a retainer above the front edge of the top of the desk. I

Means are provided to brace and hold the desk in its erected position and a specific objective of the invention is to provide the rear wall with extended braces that may be folded inwardly against it, in the collapsed position, and swing outwardly to provide sidewalls when the deskis erected.

In the accompanying drawings, there is shown an embodiment of the invention illustrative of these and other of its objectives, novel features, and advantages.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the blank showing the fold or hinge lines;

FIG. 2 is a side view of thedesk in the collapsed form;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the erected deskiand FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view, on an increased scale, showing the locking of the side-formin g flaps to the, intumed flap of the top wall by which the top and front walls are joined.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated by the drawings, a blank, generally indicated at in FIG. 1, is cut from a sheet of suitably stiff stock, paperboard, for example, and provided with parallel, widthwise fold lines 11, 12, and 13 dividing the blank into sections 14, 15, 16,17. The sections increase in length in the order named and in the erected desk, the section 14 is the front wall, the section 15, the bottom wall, the section 16, the rear wall, the section IS. the bottom wall, the section 16, the rear wall, and the section 17 is the top wall.

The top wall 17 includes a fold line or hinge 18 adjacent its free edge defining a marginal flap 19. The top wall 17 is folded over the rear wall 16 and the bottom wall and the front wall 14 is folded over the bottom wall 15 and over the free edge of the top wall 17 as will be apparent from FIG. 2. The desk is then completed in its collapsed form by interconnecting the flap 19 to the front wall 14 below the free edge thereof as by staples 20 thereby providing a free margin 21.

The desk may then be erected as by swinging the front wall 1 4 upwardly and forwardly as far aspossible and in the erected position, see FIG. 3, the top wall 17 is downwardly inclined towards the front wall 14 and the margin 21 is disposed as a retainer for holding a book, magazine, or writing paper supported on the top wall 17 from sliding therefrom.

It is necessary to hold the desk in its erected position and, in accordance with the embodiment of the invention illustrated by the drawings, this is effected by providing the rear wall 16 with laterally disposed, marginal portions orilaps 22 defined by'transverse fold lines 23 and provided with finger-receiving holes 24, the flaps 22 being shaped and dimensioned to so lit the erected desk as to become supporting sidewalls therefor when swung outwardl into a position holding the erected desk against collapse. 0 ensure the retention of the flaps 22 in their operative position, each marginal flap 19 is provided with open-ended slots 25 into which portions of the flaps 22 may enter when they are pulled outwardly to a predetermined extent.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing that foldable desks are adapted to meet a wide range of requirements because of their simple, compact, lightweight, and low cost construction making them well adapted for hospital and convalescent uses.

lclaim:

1. A foldable desk comprising hingedly connected front, bottom, rear and top walls increasing in width in the order named, the hinge connection between said top and front walls being located to provide saidfront wall with a free' edge portion, the combined length of the top and front walls, when thus connected, being equal to that of the bottom and rear walls to enable the desk to have a collapsed position in which the top and front walls may lie flat against the bottom and rear walls and an operative position in which said top wall is inclined downwardly towards said front and bottom walls and the free edge portion of the front wall is disposed at such an angle relative to said top-wall as to serve as a retainer for reading or writing materials positioned thereon.

2. The folding desk of claim I in which the walls are integrally connected and of a material such as cardboard, the top wall includes a flap secured to the inner surface of the front wall below its free edge and having an open-ended slot defining a channel, one of said other walls includes a foldable brace shaped and dimensioned to fit within the proximate end of the desk to brace said desk against collapsing with a portion of said brace entrant of the channel.

3. The folding desk of claim 1 in which the walls are integrally connected and of a material such as cardboard, the top wall includes a flap secured to the inner surface of the front wall below its free edge and having an open-ended slot adjacent each end defining a channel, said rear wall includes a foldable brace at each end and shaped and dimensioned to fit within the proximate end of the desk to brace said desk against collapsing with a portion of said brace entrant of an appropriate one of the channels.

4. The folding desk of claim 3 in which the rear wall braces are normally folded inwardly against the interior surface thereof.

5. The folding desk of claim 4 in which each end wall brace has a finger receiving hole adjacent its free end.

6. The folding desk of claim 4 in which each end wall brace is shaped and dimensioned to become a sidewall of the desk when operatively positioned. 

